Two killed in Martha's Vineyard SUV crash

Two women were killed on Martha’s Vineyard after their SUV crashed head-on into a tree, according to state police.

JON OFFREDO

Two women were killed on Martha’s Vineyard after their SUV crashed head-on into a tree, according to state police.

Judith Morse, 70, of West Tisbury and a 69-year-old passenger from Lyman, N.H., died in the crash, which happened shortly after noon. The passenger’s name was not released because police had yet to notify her family.

State police say Morse was backing her 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser down a private driveway on 2 Red Gate Farm in Aquinnah and struck a tree. She then tried to drive forward when the vehicle struck an electrical box, a porch attached to a garage and then went down a hill, striking the tree head on. The SUV traveled about 319 feet before striking the tree.

A third woman, Susan Papanicolaou, 68, of Minneapolis was in the back seat. She was treated for minor injuries.

State police Sgt. Thomas Medeiros told the Vineyard Gazette that the women were spotted by the property’s caretaker, who lost sight of the car and drove out on Moshup Trail looking for the vehicle.

He noticed the electrical box was tipped over and found the car at the bottom of the hill and called police for help.

The property is owned by the Kennedy family. Aquinnah Police Chief Rhandi Belain told the Gazette that he believed the family had been notified.

“It’s one of those freak accidents,” he told the paper. “It’s bizarre.”

The Red Gate Farm property was the summer home of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Her daughter, Caroline, said in a statement, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this tragic accident.”

The state police are investigating the accident.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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